Artemis Orchestra and the Gemma Farrell Band

26 Nov, 2017 @ 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm

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PJS Presents: Artemis Orchestra

Supported by the Gemma Farrell Band

Gemma Farrell has created a predominately female big band to promote Perth’s incredible women in jazz, as well as the original music of Australia’s great female composers and arrangers. The band includes Alana Macpherson leading the saxophone section, Catherine Noblet leading the trombones, Talya Valenti and Kate Pass in the rhythm section and many other fantastic musicians. For this first performance we will play the music of both locally based composers, Perth expats and composers from the Eastern States.

Saxophonist Gemma Farrell has been active as a performer and jazz educator since 2003. Originally from Perth, Gemma has lived in Brisbane and Amsterdam, having achieved her Bachelor of Music with Honours at WAAPA and the Queensland Conservatorium, and her Master of Music degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. In 2009 she was a guest lecturer at Sydney’s Young Women in Jazz Course, which she now lectures at in Perth.

In 2013 Gemma recorded her debut album as a leader, Vicissitude, as well as an album with her quartet, Say What?!, called Get it Together. Gemma returned to Perth later that year where she now performs and teaches regularly. In 2014 she toured Australia with her European group, MFG, and they recorded their debut album, Live at the Brisbane Jazz Club.

In 2015, her new quintet debuted at the Perth International Jazz Festival. Gemma recently became the president of the Perth Jazz Society.

She has played alongside the Clayton Brothers Quintet, Justin Dicioccio, Sandy Evans, Nelson Faria, John Farnham, Sharon Jones, Branford Marsalis, Don Menza, James Morrison, Dick Oatts, Jim Pugh, Gary Smulyan, Marco Tambourini and Will Vinson.create a predominately female big band to promote Perth’s incredible women in jazz, as well as the original music of Australia’s great female composers and arrangers. The band includes Alana Macpherson leading the saxophone section, Catherine Noblet leading the trombones, Talya Valenti and Kate Pass in the rhythm section and many other fantastic musicians. For this first performance we will play the music of both locally based composers, Perth expats and composers from the Eastern States.